Northside Independent School District - San Antonio, TX
San Antonio's premier school district
San Antonio's premier school district
Dr. John M. Folks, Superintendent of Northside ISD, heads one of the largest and fastest-growing school districts in Texas. Folks has been an educator for 41 years and this year was named the 2011 Texas Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards.
Dr. Folks has served as Superintendent of Northside since July 2002 and is the former top education leader for the state of Oklahoma and the former Superintendent of Spring ISD in Houston.
Dr. Folks also has served as Superintendent of the Midwest City-Del City Public Schools in suburban Oklahoma City and as Dean of the School of Education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
As the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Folks was responsible for the development of policy and implementation of comprehensive plans for education from early childhood through high school. He also served on the Board of Regents for Oklahoma colleges and universities.
A native of Oklahoma who earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Folks began his teaching career in Port Arthur, Texas.
A vocal advocate for public education, Dr. Folks is Past President of the Texas Association of School Administrators and serves on the Executive and Legislative committees. He currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Fast Growth School Coalition, on the Board of Directors of the Texas Academic Decathlon, and the Texas Education Reform Foundation/Texas Education Reform Caucus. Dr. Folks also is a Past President of the Texas School Alliance and a Past President of the Texas Association of Suburban/Mid-Urban Schools.
Dr. Folks is active in the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and serves on two of its Public Affairs Council committees – the State and Federal Legislative Committee and the Education Committee. He also is a member of the P16Plus Council of Greater Bexar County and serves on the Board of Directors of the Alamo Public Telecommunications Council.
Dr. John Folks is presented the 2011 Superintendent of the Year trophy by Gary Inmon (pictured left), a Board member from Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and current Texas Association of School Board (TASB) president; and Sylvester Vasquez (pictured right), a Board member from Southwest ISD and past TASB president.
State Representative John Garza presents Dr. John Folks with a House Resolution recognizing his leadership in Texas Education
Wanda Longoria, NISD's American Federation of Teachers (AFT) representative, presents Dr. Folks with a plaque thanking him for his advocacy of teachers and students.
